1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a processing apparatus which processes a processed object using a laser beam.
2. Description of the Related Art
A piezoelectric head is used as a head of an inkjet printer. The piezoelectric head has, for example, such a structure that a plate-like piezoelectric element with a plurality of grooves for storing ink is provided on a substrate such as ceramic.
The groove is opened in one end surface of the piezoelectric element on the opposite side of the substrate. Thus, a polyimide film covering the groove is provided on the surface of the piezoelectric element on the opposite side of the substrate. The polyimide film comprises a nozzle formed at a portion facing the groove and jetting ink.
For example, an electrode is attached to a bulkhead which partitions the groove in the piezoelectric element. The bulkhead is deformed by being subjected to a voltage through the electrode, and therefore, the ink stored in the groove passes through the nozzle, provided in the polyimide film, to be pushed out.
In the printer head formed as above, the nozzle to be provided in the polyimide film is processed and formed by a processing apparatus in such a state that the polyimide film is fixed to the piezoelectric element. For this type of processing apparatus, there is proposed a processing apparatus which forms the nozzle in the polyimide film using a laser beam.
This type of processing apparatus comprises an X, Y stage movable in two directions perpendicular to each other and a holding table provided on the X, Y stage and movable in the direction perpendicular to the two directions. The holding table comprises a processing stage onto which a processed object such as a printer head is fixed.
One X, Y stage has one processing head, and a laser beam is applied to a processed object, such as a printer head, through the processing head. The processed object is processed by the laser beam. This type of technique is disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-241934.
In the processing apparatus disclosed in the Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-241934, a laser beam can be applied to one point of a processed object by one laser beam application from a laser oscillator. In other words, one point of the processed object can be processed by one laser beam application from the laser oscillator.
However, the polyimide film of the printer head should comprise a plurality of nozzles, and therefore, if only one point can be processed by one laser beam application from the laser oscillator, the production efficiency of the printer head is deteriorated.
Meanwhile, a mask having a plurality of laser transparent windows and a stepper lens are interposed between a processing head and a processed object, whereby a laser beam is applied to a plurality of points of the processed object by one laser beam emission from a laser oscillator. The laser beam is divided into a plurality of groups by the mask and the stepper lens to be applied to a plurality of points of the processed object.
However, in the above constitution, the mask is required to be formed according to the processing of the processed object, and consequently the processing apparatus has a constitution specific to the processing of one kind of a processed object. Therefore, when the processing apparatus is configured to comprise the mask having a plurality of laser transparent windows and the stepper lens, the flexibility for forming other kinds of processed objects tends to be reduced.